This latest episode, aptly titled The New Normal, in a lot of ways, felt like things were getting back to some type of normal, however different that might be from what we’ve perceived as typical in previous seasons of Heartland. Because, let’s face it, from episode one, this season, with all the changes that it has brought, is anything but normal.
Want to know what exactly happened during the episode? Then check out this recap of Heartland season 14 episode 6!
As always, a spoiler warning is in effect since there are a lot of those in this article!
Back to her Miracle Girl roots
All through season 14 we’ve seen Amy dealing with Ty’s death and therefore not really working with client horses like we’re used to. But in this episode, we finally saw a glimmer of the old Amy again.
The episode started with Tim seeing more wild horses being pushed out of the herd by the new leader, Caz. And since that puts the safety of these horses on the line, Tim, Jack, and Amy agreed that something must be done.
Amy and Jack were thinking of calling Amy’s old clients and seeing if any of them aren’t looking to buy new horses. Or, if that didn’t work, they might even do a show and tell to try and rehome all five horses in one go. However, Tim was one step ahead of them and suggested they do a clinic this weekend – a two-day workshop that would not only show people how trainable the wild horses are but also give Amy a chance to get back to her roots.
At first, Amy wasn’t sure if she was up for doing the clinic so soon. But she knew that she was putting off doing workshops, so she reluctantly agreed. Yet, despite putting on a brave face for her dad she admitted to Jack that she was scared of doing the workshop.
Not because of the horses but because of the people. Since the workshop meant new clients who don’t know her personally but just know her tragic story. And she didn’t want a bunch of strangers giving her pitying looks for two days straight. But one Jack pep talk later and Amy was ready to host the clinic.
Amy: “I guess I just don’t feel very miraculous right now.”
Jack: “I’d say what you’ve done with Shadow’s pretty darn miraculous. So forget about the people. It’s the horses, they need you. Just like you needed Shadow when he came to you right outta that same herd. And Maybe, amongst the strangers, there’ll be someone in there who needs a horse kinda like you did.”
And things were going great until they weren’t.
The first hit came when Clint showed up to the clinic to introduce Amy to Cooper Huse who’s running a center for troubled youth with a focus on horse therapy. But after having done so Clint told Amy that he was happy to see that she’s back to doing what she loves and that he thinks that Ty would be proud of her. Which threw Amy for a loop.
And then, during the clinic, Amy heard two women talk about what a tragedy losing Ty was which made Amy lose confidence entirely and she cut the first day of the clinic short.
Luckily, Lou was there for Amy and suggested that they take the evening off and stay at one of the dude ranch cabins to rest and recharge. And while at the cabin they finally talked through all the issues they have been having with each other.
Like how Amy hated that everyone, both at the clinic and at home, was treating her like a sad, fragile victim. Lou included since she slammed her laptop shut when looking at wedding dresses with Lisa as soon as Amy walked into the house. And how Amy wanted everything to go back to the way it was. While Lou just wanted to be sensitive towards Amy so inadvertently she was tiptoeing around her.
So, the two opened up to each other. Which seemed to finally put things on the right path between the two. And it also gave Amy an idea of how to approach the clinic the next day.
As per Lou’s suggestion, she was honest with the people at the clinic and told them that although she doesn’t have all the answers she’s certain of one thing – Shadow helped her and Spartan when they were at their lowest and the wildies can help their new owners, too.
Thus, in the end, the clinic was a success. Cooper even said that he’s going to buy all five of the wildies for his center. And, although at first, he wanted Amy to be the one to train them for his center, she said that she’s not quite sure that she can handle that much just yet. So Amy promised to recommend some other great horse trainers to Cooler. Who, in return, said that his door is always open for Amy to come work for him.
Wouldn’t that be great to see – Amy working with horses and troubled kids? Sounds like it could be the perfect way to honor Ty.
One big happy family
Like I mentioned above, in this episode, we saw Lou finally start to plan her wedding. And although she had support in Lisa and Amy, too, now that they talked, not everyone was on board with the impending nuptials. Katie, for one, didn’t seem keen on the idea of Lou marrying Mitch since that means that Mitch will become her stepdad.
At the beginning of the episode, we saw Katie being excited for Peter to be home and the two going for a special father-daughter dinner. Only to be interrupted by Mitch calling Lou and them talking about how they’re jumping straight into wedding planning once Mitch gets home this weekend. So, Katie stormed out of the kitchen leaving Lou shocked at her sudden dislike for Mitch. Which resulted in Lou asking Peter to put in a good word for Mitch with Katie.
Peter really didn’t want to do it. However, Lou all but begged him since she wants them all to be on board with the wedding and be one big happy family. So Peter begrudgingly agreed.
And he tried. Several times actually. But all his attempts seemed to only make it worse. So much so that Katie told Peter to stop trying to make Mitch her dad.
Luckily, Peter knew how to deal with Katie’s angst and once he let her cool down he went to talk to her and found out what really is going on. And it turns out that Katie didn’t have anything against Mitch. She just didn’t want Peter, her real dad, going anywhere.
Ty’s death left Lyndy without a father. And it seems that it scared Katie since it made her realize that dads aren’t superheroes, they can die, too.
So, Peter was quick to assure Katie that he’s not going anywhere and that he will never stop being her dad. Hopefully, he can keep his word because by now Peter is as much a part of the family as anyone else. And without him and the support he lends to Katie, Georgie, and even Lou, this show wouldn’t be what it is.
One of the best jobs in the whole world
Speaking of Peter being a great dad, in this episode we also saw Caleb struggling with the role of being a dad to his son, Carson, and Peter helping him through it.
Early in the episode, we saw Caleb burst into the kitchen of the ranch house first asking for Jack and then, once he realized that Jack’s in Calgary (more on that later), asking if he and his toddler son can crash there for a bit.
Caleb looked all kinds of frazzled and sleep-deprived. So, Peter didn’t have the heart to say no to Caleb. Even if he did accidentally undermine his authority by first offering Katie a burger and fries although Peter had just served her his famous grilled cheese and then suggested they watch a movie although they have a rule about no screen time during the day.
By bedtime, both Peter and Caleb were exhausted. What with Peter dealing with Katie’s dislike for Mitch and Caleb taking care of little Carson. So, Caleb was surprised that even at the end of such an exhausting day Peter was still his level-headed self. Especially since Caleb himself was having a hard time dealing with parenthood.
Caleb even admitted to Peter that the reason he’s at Heartland is that he panicked. He’s essentially raising Carson alone since Cass is at work all the time now that’s Ty gone and she had a chance to step up at the clinic and he has no idea what he’s doing or if he’s doing a good job.
Fortunately, Peter had some great advice for the new dad, having gone through the ups and downs of parenting many times over the last 11 years.
Which helped Caleb see that maybe he’s not doing so bad after all. And hopefully, it will ultimately help him feel more secure in his role in being a dad.
The spokesman for Heartland Beef
All through this review, I’ve only mentioned Jack and Lisa in passing. And there’s a reason for that because in this episode we saw the two of them head to Calgary for a big grocery convention.
After Jack, Tim and Amy brought the wildies that got kicked out of the herd to the pen where the clinic was going to be held, Fred Garland called Jack to invite him to a grocery convention that’s being held in Calgary.
Fred wanted Jack to be the spokesman for Heartland Beef at the event. The only spokesman, leaving Tim on the sidelines once again. Just like in season 13 episode 2 when Garland Foods did a photoshoot of Jack, Tim, and Mitch for the local newspaper but Jack ended up being the only one featured in the ads.
Jack being Jack didn’t want to go. But Lisa managed to talk him into it. So the two drove to Calgary. But once they got to the hotel it became clear that Jack won’t be able to enjoy the suite that Garland Foods booked them since his schedule was full of meet-and-greets, photo ops, and a big, fancy party at the end of the night.
So, while Jack was out smooching Lisa did some shopping for the party. However, when she got back to the hotel and was about to take a shower to get ready for the evening festivities, Lisa slipped and ended up spraining her wrist.
Jack seeing Lisa walk out of the bathroom with her right arm in a sling didn’t want to go back to the party, of course. But since Lisa saw Jack actually enjoying himself at the convention when she was coming back from her shopping trip, which is something Jack hasn’t really done since Ty passed, she convinced Jack to go back downstairs. And to our surprise, he complied. Or so it seemed.
Because a while later Lisa saw Jack standing in the living room of the hotel room with a bouquet of roses and a nice dinner for the two of them. And so, instead of spending his time at a fancy party without Lisa, Jack enjoyed a romantic dinner with his wife.
During which, Lisa also confessed that she saw Jack really smile today for the first time in a long time and was wondering why he wasn’t so carefree and happy at home. To which Jack replied that it’s easy to be Mr. Heartland Beef at the convention and pretend that they aren’t still dealing with the loss of Ty. While at home he needs to be a rock for Amy.
Luckily, Lisa was there for her husband to reassure him that he doesn’t have to be strong all the time.
Jack: “You know, I caught myself laughing today. Like really laughing. And for one second, I forgot about all the hard stuff, when I didn’t think about Ty, and I feel guilty about that. So, am I allowed to have a good time when he can’t?”
Lisa: “If we learned one very hard lesson from Ty’s death, it’s that we don’t take anything for granted. We enjoy every single moment. Ty would want that. You are allowed to be happy.”
I just love Jack and Lisa’s relationship and how they are there for each other. Now more than ever. It just goes to show that if you have people around you who love you, you can get through anything.
Last thoughts on Heartland season 14 episode 6
I love how this show is not afraid to flip the traditional gender roles and have the men taking care of the kids while the women are out earning money. Like how in this episode, Lou, Amy, and Cass were out working, while Peter and Caleb were at home taking care of Katie, Lyndy, and Carson. It was not only great to see but also gave some quality bonding time for Peter and Caleb, a pairing that we don’t often see on Heartland.
I also called it when it comes to Tim and Jessica getting close. In the recap of the last episode, I mentioned how it looked like the two are flirting. So, in this episode, we not only saw them take a trail ride together but also talk about Jessica’s cancer and Tim’s cancer scare a few years back (in season 11). And that led to them kissing which Lou and Amy saw. Will this lead to a more permanent relationship for Tim? Let’s hope so because he hasn’t really been with anyone since Casey.
READ NEXT: Heartland season 14 episode 7 review
And lastly, how cute was Mitch when he picked up Carson before Caleb woke up and then when he held him while Caleb was getting his son a bottle? And Lou seemed to notice that as well. Could there be a baby of their own in the engaged couple’s future? I’m sure Georgie and maybe even Katie wouldn’t mind a little sister or brother.
Promo for Heartland season 14 episode 7
And here is the promo for the next episode of Heartland which is titled Courage and is airing on CBC this Sunday, February 28th!
Why can’t Lou and Scott get married they would make a better couple then stupid Mitch. Scott has know Lou longer and understands her better then Mitch and deep down I think she likes Scott still even if she is getting married.
Scott hasn’t been in the picture for a WHILE now so I doubt that will ever happen.
I’d been wondering how the writers would introduce a new love interest for Amy since she seems to have no friends or social group outside of her family. Here comes Clint and Cooper to answer that one. I’d say that’ll be it by maybe next season after the wedding storyline wraps up and it’ll have been a couple of years since Ty’s death.
Katie is unbearable! I thought she was being a true little B last season and it’s ramped up even further this season.
Ugh. Mitch. Why is he still around?
I was so excited because I thought they broke up in the finale of Season 12! Yay, Mitch is finally gone! But alas, nope. Lou is still with that manchild and ENGAGED to him! I can only hope he does yet another horrible thing to her or her family and they finally break up.
in 13 seasons amy has never trained more then one horse at a time but here she is training five at the same time. what is going on. where is amys daughter, after tys death this was going to be about amy helping lyndy growing up. instead we see lyndy for one minute and knw mom contact during this episode. whats up
There are only so many stories and characters they can cram in one episode. And Amy isn’t training five horses at the same time. She actually told Cooper that she thinks that she doesn’t think she can handle that much right now. Besides, it looks like we will see Amy focus on Lyndy a lot in the next episode.